A monstrously big black ale aged for 8 months in eight year old Woodford Reserve Bourbon barrels. Flavors of vanilla, coconut, chocolate, coffee, cherry and bourbon are matched by the warming effects of the brew.

Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Can't give this one a proper review since I had it over a bachelor party weekend in Chicago and didn't take notes, but along with Haymarket's Mathias DIPA, this one deserved more than just a rating.

All the usual suspects were there in the aroma and taste--bittersweet chocolate, dark coffee, caramel, vanilla, ripe dark fruit, molasses, charred wood, and of course a warm bourbon backbone. Beautiful balance of sweetness, bitterness, and alcohol heat. Rich, creamy, full-bodied and silky smooth with low carbonation. Masterfully crafted, and something I would deem a "must-have" if you're in the area. (635 characters)

O: Another winner from Pete and the Haymarket gang. Even better they fill 32 oz growlers of this for $18. A steal for such a great beer. I would love to see different barrel treatments on this stout because I think with the right barrel, this would be on par with the world-class barrel-aged stouts. Just a notch below, but still damn good. (800 characters)

Poured from a growler into a tulip glass a pitch black brew with a very small head, about a quarter inch, that dissipated to nothing - no lacing, etc, within a couple of minutes. It has a strong aroma of oak, molasses, bourbon and vanilla. First sip, a bit of carbonation on the tongue. Then, oak and bourbon flavors blending into a heavy malt sweetness with some citrus notes coming in the finish with the hops. More bitterness than expected, but certainly the malt prevails. Fortunately, I don't detect the alcohol, just some raisins or prunes in the aftertaste.

It's not Pliny the Younger, but it is a great example of an Imperial Stout. (641 characters)

The Indignant Bourbon Imperial Stout was a MONSTER beer. Thie beer was very good. The beer poured a opaque black with thin tan head that laced slightly. The aroma was bourbon supported by slight roast and sweetness. The taste was an explosion of flavor. At the start was vanilla, followed by roast, dark chocolate, and cherry....then at the finish was bourbon. The mouthfeel was ok...the high ABV and flavor explosion made this a sipping beer....with full body...almost cough syrupy. Overall the beer was amazing....but one is more than enough. (544 characters)

This is my first Haymarket beer, and it looks like its a good one for first impressions too. Pitch black and rather leggy.Aroma gives of a touch of heat and some sweetness in vanilla and milky chocolates and some barreled bourbon goodness.The flavors and mouth feel are super rich and thick, i could see this one coming across as under attenuated to some and overly sweet, but i think if you are drinking a reasonable amount of this it stops short, and just gives a concentrated dose of vanilla, smooth chocolate, and barrel notes in a low carbonation and very viscous vessel. (578 characters)

Poured from a 64 oz. growler into a tulip. Thanks for picking this up Dunt!

Appearance: Each pour is black all the way through, with a creamy tan head that forms and fades away.

Smell: The smell has creamy undertones to it. Smooth roasted malt, chocolate, oak, bourbon, and vanilla are all noticeable in the aroma. Lightly smokey.

Taste: The flavor starts out with full chocolate and roasted malt. Oak and bourbon come in next, with vanilla and a little bit of espresso coming in at the end. The different components of the flavor blend together well.

Mouthfeel: This has a full, rich, and creamy feel with carbonation to match. As the bourbon manifests itself in the flavor, the feel dries out just a little bit on the back end.

Overall: This is a nice creation from Haymarket. I would not describe it as being terribly innovative, but anytime a brewer can brew a 12.5% bourbon barrel aged imperial stout that feels easy to drink, that is noteworthy. (958 characters)

O - Really nice beer, if this is the beginning of their barrel aging I'd say Haymarket has a ton of potential to kick out some really great big beers. Would love to drink this again, particularly after it's had a bit of time to sit. (994 characters)

From 08/21/11 notes, Big thanks to Thorpe429 for saving me some of this one as well. Never heard of it but really enjoyed it. Poured into my SAVOR mini-snifter.

a - Pours a dark brown color with a few bubbles of dark tan head and low carbonation evident.

s - Smells a little bit smokey at first. After that came some roasted malts, bourbon, oak, and light fruits. Bourbon came out mroe as I drank it and the smokey notes subsided a bit. I really liked the nose.

t - Taste followed the nose a bit, with the addition of some sweet chocolate. Chocolate, bourbon, oak, dark fruits, vanilla, and a touch of smoke. Again, very nice.

m - Medium body and low carbonation, very smooth and creamy body. Very easy to drink.

o - Overall I thought this one was greatt good; a really nice surprise. Lots of bourbon and some sweet fruit and chocolate in the taste. Would love to have it again. (883 characters)

The smell was all bourbon, with big oak and vanilla notes along with sweet molasses and alcohol.

The flavor is very sweet and boozy, with tons of vanilla and toffee along with a hint of oak and a light bit of dark malt smokeyness coming through. Here is where my biggest problem with this beer begins, its all bourbon and barely stout. Very lacking in the roasted barley stout flavors. Not bad but just to bourbony.

The mouthfeel was thick and warm.

A pretty good beer, just needs a bit more stout in the stout. (573 characters)

Drink up the black souls of your oppressors! Appearance? Black and thick. Looks like it may bubble over and burn a hole in the table. Faint head with little lacing, legs may be more appropriate for the style. Smells like good bourbon - vanillin and slight oak. Tastes great. This is a sipping beer. Almost reminds me of an apertif in that the flavors are very strong and definately wake up your senses. Subtle alcohol, for 12.5%. Taste sweet molassas and more bourbon flavors. Six months was perfect for aging this beer. Any more and the bourbon flavors would have been overpowering. Well balanced now. 4 oz was perfect a 12 oz (with a Mathias) and I may have taken to the streets. (681 characters)

Big thanks to Sean9689 for getting this growler out my way. Served as a pre-cursor to the barrel-aged barleywine tasting last night. Quite a few pours into my SAVOR snifter.

Pours a deep black color with no head or lacing to speak of. Good coloration, but not much to say about it other than that. Don't think this was an issue with it being a shipped growler, as there was both heat-sealed plastic and electrical tape on it. No signs of any leakage.

Nose was nice with quite a bit of chocolate and brown sugar underneath a good bourbon character. Flavor explodes from there, with lots of chocolate and brown sugar along with a touch of roast. Mild cherry and port characteristics. Slight vanilla underneath it all. Touch of anise there as well. Great blanket of bourbon throughout. Super intense.

Mouthfeel was thick and viscous. Very full body with moderate sweetness and a long finish. Light carbonation.

T - Big hot boozy, coconut, chocolate, caramel, slight roast. This one needs some more time to chill, but besides the big booze, there's a nice level of complexity here that I see coming through.

M - Full, rich, smooth, good carbonation, creamy toasty finish.

O - A very solid BA that is enjoyable, to say the least. However, it's still quite fresh at this point and needs some time to rest, IMO. If you like 'em big and boozy, this is your beer. I want this one after a year or so worth of age. (672 characters)

Had on tap at Haymarket. Served in the small raster glass so not a good representation of head, which was nonexistent. Minimal lacing. Aroma is of subtle bourbon, vanilla, Roast malt and gets much more complex as it warms. Taste is again subtle bourbon, chocolate, Dark fruit, a hint of molasses and a fantastic vanilla malty finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied - looks thicker than it actually is. Fantastic beer at an excellent price for the style ($9 for 12 oz not 8oz like other BA stouts). Drinks very easily for 12.5%. (523 characters)

Dark brown/black oily pour with a minimal amount of head & not much lacing.

Aroma is nice - bourbon up front with some chocolate, malt, vanilla, and roasty notes (amongst others) becoming apparent as it warms a bit.

Flavor is excellent - the bourbon is still there but its certainly not overpowering (which is a good thing IMO). More coffee/chocolate/malty aspects make an appearance here as it warms along with some syrupy caramel/molasses type flavors... really tasty.

Could benefit from just a bit more carbonation but still has great general mouthfeel - not too syrupy thick and certainly not too thin.

Overall a VERY impressive beer. Its too bad they weren't able to get this bottled, but still it was nice to be able to bring home a growler of an excellent 12.5% BA imperial Stout - that doesn't happen very often!

A - Served with a thin tan foam that has surprisingly good retention and settles to a big-bubbled collar and some wisps on top, leaving behind tiny spots of lace. Body is pitch black.

S - Let this one warm up and you'll be rewarded. Initially there is a hefty dose of bourbon, but as the temperature rises a copious amount of oaky vanilla emerges, along with a hint of coconut. Hefty doses of roasted grains, cake, semisweet chocolate and a dash of dark fruit round things out.

T - Taste is significantly more roasty and heavier on the chocolate and dark fruits. There's also a molasses flavor I didn't really get in the aroma. It's fairly sweet, but I thought the balance was quite nice (some of my compatriots thought it was a little to decadent). Oak and earthy bourbon flavors show up in the finish, and there's unfortunately less of the wonderful vanilla from the barrels. Alcohol is quite well-hidden.

M - Chewy, full-bodied, with very low carbonation, and a roasty tannic finish. Shockingly easy to drink for 12.5% - I felt like I could have had a few glasses of this one.

D - It's a shame this wasn't bottled (yet I suppose), as I think it's a beer better suited to cold weather instead of an oppressively hot Chicago summer on an outdoor patio. That being said, it's competitive with some of the other great barrel-aged stouts available in town. Looking forward to more barrel-aged beers from Haymarket. (1,463 characters)